Apple’s iOS 26 enhances FaceTime with live translation, a refreshed design that emphasizes visual contact, smarter call handling, and privacy protections tailored for all users.
Real-Time Conversation in Multiple Languages
FaceTime’s Live Translation now lets users see captions translated on the fly during calls, while your responses are translated too provided both parties run iOS 26 (or iPadOS/macOS 26) with Apple Intelligence support. This feature initially supports English, French, German, Brazilian portuguese, and Spanish.
You trigger it mid call via the three-dot menu, then choose source and target languages. Translations appear like Live captions, and you can stop them at any time.
Interactive Card-Style Interface
The contact list has been transformed into a vertical stack of cards showing full-picture or even video snippets of your contacts (if available), creating a more lively and visual browsing experience.
Tap a card to start a FaceTime audio or video call long-press it to delete the contact. The “New Call” button now sits at the bottom, and filter options are tucked into the top-right menu. In-call controls shift to the bottom-right, streamlining one hand use.
Smart Safety: Nudity Detection & Call Filtering
FaceTime now includes sensitive-content detection when the system spots nudity, the video (and audio) freezes and a warning appears. For child accounts (<17), Communication Safety is on by default. Adults can opt in to receive Sensitive Content Warnings. Crucially, all analyses run on-device Apple doesn’t access or store any content.
Additionally, FaceTime gets call filtering like the Phone app unknown callers are hidden in a separate list unless chosen, while spam is silenced and relegated to a spam list. You control these settings in Settings → FaceTime → Call Filtering.
The user interface embraces the new “Liquid Glass” design language across FaceTime. Rounded, glass-like buttons and cards add visual cohesion with other iOS 26 apps.
iOS 26 transforms FaceTime into a smarter, safer, and more visually engaging platform. Live translation removes language barriers, the updated layout puts your contacts front and center, call filtering reduces spam, and sensitive-content warnings protect privacy. Available for Apple Intelligence devices running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26.
